


Stay

by bittersweetblooberry



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining, Orphanage AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 00:26:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10955877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersweetblooberry/pseuds/bittersweetblooberry
Summary: One night, Kageyama wakes up from hearing crying outside his window at the orphanage he lives in. When he checks to go see what it's coming from, he doesn't expect to find a boy with orange hair and big tear-filled brown eyes.Kageyama doesn't know if he and his heart can handle this.





	1. Chapter 1

Kageyama knew he wasn’t supposed to go outside; at least not at this time of night.

It was eleven fifty-five with a full moon tonight, illuminating his quaint room through the cracked blinds. He wanted to go back to sleep; he tried countless of times within the past fifteen minutes, tossing and turning in his bunk bed. He kept getting awakened by muffled noises that were coming from outside his window. As Kageyama finally stilled, furrowing his eyebrows with a pout, he finally got a good listen of what the squealing noises were.

It sounded like…crying. It was definitely crying.

It was annoying.

With a low growl, Kageyama ripped the covers from his body and peeked through the blinds. He couldn’t see anyone nearby, but the crying wasn’t subsiding. Kageyama snarled. Angrily, yet quietly he climbed down the ladder to his bunk bed, careful not to wake the boy, Yamaguchi, who was fast asleep on the bottom bunk, drooling.

He silently made his way down the wide, endless hallway, shuffling his sock-covered feet past the other children’s rooms, the cafeteria, and the dining room. Fortunately, the moon provided light through the tall windows in the dark hallway, but Kageyama felt butterflies from what he was doing. He had never snuck out of his room before, let alone at midnight, by himself.

 _I’m gonna kill whoever’s making that noise,_ he thought to himself with another pout. _I don’t even know why I’m doing this. I just want to freakin’ sleep!_ He really didn’t know why he was going through the trouble to see what the annoying whining was coming from, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn't a _little_ curious (but he mostly just wanted to sleep).

It was surprisingly easy to get out the front entrance. Kageyama was tall for his age—being only nine-years-old—so it wasn’t difficult for him to reach the door handle and simply unlocking it. He started at the low creak it made as he cracked the door open before slipping through, slowly shutting the door behind him. Kageyama shivered in his pajamas (which consisted of a T-shirt and shorts) as a light breeze blew by.

He immediately went to the right of the building and rounded the corner, trying to find the source of the continuous crying. He slowed down his pace when he saw what seemed like a shaking yellow blob sitting against the brown wood of the building. It was sitting below one of the windows, which Kageyama could only assume was his window, as the yellow blob was the culprit of the irritating whimpers. Their cries were slightly muffled by the trees rustling in the wind, but were still loud enough to make Kageyama’s eye twitch.

Pushing away any nervousness, with his fists at his sides, he marched straight over to whomever it was, hovering right above them. “Hey, you,” he said sternly with a fixed glare.

His voice easily startled the blob, as they visibly flinched and hiccupped; their crying abruptly ceased. They looked up at Kageyama with wide glassy eyes, tears bubbling down their cheeks. Kageyama gasped, mouth slightly parting.

The yellow blob was a boy—a boy who looked around Kageyama’s age. And the “blob” was a raincoat that practically engulfed the boy’s small frame. Fluffy orange hair peeked below the hood that was over his head; he was hugging his legs to his chest, sniffling.

Kageyama was frozen in place. The boy just stared up at him, blinking his big doe eyes.

“W-who are you?” the boy spoke up in kind of a groggy voice from crying so much. His voice was just as small as him, Kageyama noted.

Kageyama decided to ignore his question, snapping out of whatever stupid daze he was in. “W-what are doing here crying?” he asked, not meaning to sound as harsh as it came out.

The boy jumped slightly at the tone, a few more tears slipping from his eyes. He hugged his legs even closer to his chest as he whimpered, “I… I-I don’t know where I am.” He squeezed his eyes shut, burying his head into his knees as his body shook with upcoming tears. “I’m l-lost…”

Kageyama’s glower was starting to crumble. He really wanted to be mad at this boy. He really did. But something was tugging at his heartstrings to help him. Maybe it was his stupid sad face or his stupid big brown eyes; whatever it was, Kageyama felt stuck.

“Quit crying, alright?” the black-haired boy grumbled, taking a step forward with his shoulders hunched and his fists still clenched at his sides. “ _You’re_ the reason why I’m up right now in the middle of the night. _You_ woke me up with your annoying whining!”

“I-I’m _sorry_!” the boy squeaked, rubbing his eyes with his tiny hands before looking pleadingly up at Kageyama. “I’m sorry I woke you up. I told you I’m l-lost. I don’t know where I am and I’m _scared_.”

Pulling… Tugging…

“Do _you_ know where I am?” the boy asked, eyes wide with hope. “I wanna be at home, but I don’t know where home is. Could you m-maybe help me find it? I’m so scared. I’m so _scared…_ ” The boy worked himself up as more tears spilled, soft little cries escaping him yet again.

It was tugging harder and harder at Kageyama’s heart, and it was infuriating.

The boy made a little noise as if he caught himself doing something bad, then said between sniffles, “I’m sorry for crying again. I’m trying to stop, I promise.” He quickly rubbed his cheeks with a wary frown. “I’m really trying—”

“Shh…” Kageyama softly shushed, placing his palms on the boy’s tear-stained cheeks. “No more crying, okay?” His well-being couldn’t take anymore of witnessing the poor boy weep in fear and confusion. It was just too much. Too heartbreaking. “We’ll try to figure everything out in the morning. I’ll…” He bit his lip in thought. “I’ll… I’ll _help_ you find out where your home is, but for now… m-maybe you could stay here until we figure things out.”

The boy’s eyes twinkled at Kageyama’s words, never looking away from the taller boy’s blue eyes that were now filled with sincerity instead of aggravation. The boy blinked, feeling himself blush a warm pink. Kageyama was beginning to blush, too.

“S-stay here?” asked the brown-eyed boy breathlessly.

His tiny voice made Kageyama blush even further. “Y-yeah. This is an orphanage. Lots of kids stay here until they’re found by their real parents or adopted.”

“Or… orfa…”

“Orphanage.”

“So… I get to stay here at this o-orfa…” The boy didn’t even bother trying to pronounce such a difficult word. “I get to stay here until I’m found by my mommy and daddy? With you?”

The last part made both boys blush to the tips of their ears—the boy from newfound happiness and Kageyama from utter embarrassment. Kageyama wasn’t sure why this boy trusted him so easily. He guessed he was the only one the other _could_ trust since he was lost.

“Yeah, w-whatever…” Kageyama mentally swore at himself for stuttering, hastily removing his palms from the orange-haired boy’s face. “You’re not gonna cry anymore, are you?” he mumbled, trying to hide his deepening blush with the back of his hand while looking away at the ground.

The boy shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Nope. No more crying.”

“Good.” Kageyama stood up straight and held out his hand, still refusing to make eye contact. “Come follow me inside. I’m really, really sleepy now,” he admitted, holding back an incoming yawn.

A small, tired smile tugged onto the boy’s face. “Me, too,” he replied softly, accepting Kageyama’s hand within both his little palms. He really wasn’t sure why he trusted this mysterious boy either, but for some reason he felt somewhat…safer. Like how the moon provided him with light for the dark, scary night.

 _He’s kind of like moonlight in a way,_ the boy thought to himself.

“U-um…”

“Hm?” Kageyama hummed, glancing down at him.

“Can I know your name?” he asked shyly, gently squeezing his fingers around the other’s slightly bigger hand.

“Kageyama Tobio,” Kageyama answered after a couple seconds of silence. “What’s yours?”

“H-Hinata Shouyou.”

Kageyama only nodded, feeling himself blush stupidly all over again. “W-we have to be quiet through the hall, so don’t make any noise,” he chastised in a hushed tone when they were in front of the orphanage’s doors.

Hinata nodded in understanding, being as quiet as he could by Kageyama’s side, only letting out a small gasp when the door made a low creak while Kageyama carefully opened it so they can slip through. Kageyama made sure both doors were locked before leading Hinata down the long hallway to the room he and Yamaguchi Tadashi shared. Fortunately, Yamaguchi was still asleep when both boys silently entered the small bedroom.

Kageyama climbed up the ladder to the bunk bed first to help Hinata’s shorter body up to the top bunk. “Take your raincoat off. It keeps squeaking,” Kageyama whispered as Hinata struggled to get his short legs up the ladder properly.

“But my clothes smell like dirt and grass,” Hinata whispered back, looking up at him with each of his hands within the other’s to help him up.

“What? Why?”

“Because I kept tripping on my rain boots while trying to find my way home,” he said with a pout, secretly wanting to cry as he remembered clumsily roaming the town for hours upon hours, all lost, and alone.

“Well, I don’t care what they smell like right now. I just wanna go back to sleep.” Kageyama nodded his head toward the mentioned rain boots that were on the smaller boy’s feet. “Take those off too.”

Hinata carefully kicked them off, wincing as the pair made thudding noises as soon as they hit the floor. Kageyama mentally groaned, finally pulling the boy up onto his bunk. Hinata fell forward on the mattress with a soft plop beside Kageyama’s legs, raincoat squeaking in the process.

“ _Hinata_!”

“ _Sorry_.”

Hinata quickly unbuttoned the raincoat and threw it on the floor, leaving him in a white T-shirt (which Kageyama thought was _ridiculously_ too big for him), black shorts and white ankle socks. He sat on his legs and looked at the entire mattress and its blue sheets and then at Kageyama, suddenly feeling guilty. “Um… will I be taking up too much space?”

Kageyama was already getting under the covers, his back to the smaller boy. “Don’t care. Just wanna sleep,” he grunted, closing his eyes and pulling the blanket up over his shoulders.

Hinata let a soft yawn escape him, eyes and body feeling drained from exhaustion. “Yeah, me too,” he agreed sleepily, quietly shuffling under the sheets and blanket, being cautious of how much space was between them both.

For a couple of minutes, Hinata lied there with his eyes closed, only for them to reopen. It was pretty dark inside the room since the moon was now behind a big oak tree and couldn’t provide enough light. Granted, there was a nightlight on in the room, but it only gave a small portion of light, and that was troublesome to Hinata. It wasn’t enough.

Hinata pressed his lips together in a thin line, his entire body trembling with anxiety. He wanted to cry, but he didn’t want to disturb Kageyama’s sleep again or wake the other boy on the bottom bunk up. He shut his eyes tight to keep the tears from spilling, clutching the bed sheets beneath his palm. The darkness was just too much.

_Please don’t cry, please don’t cry, please don’t cry…_

“Hinata, why aren’t you asleep?”

The boy in question eyes snapped open so fast and wide that he thought he saw a flash of white light. A stray, little tear slipped down his right cheek as he stared up at Kageyama, who still had his back turned to him. Hinata’s lips parted, but no words came out until he tried again seconds later. “I… I _was_ asleep,” he whispered back, voice cracking slightly.

“No, you weren’t. You were crying again.”

Hinata’s bottom lip wobbled in defeat. “I-I… Sorry… I—”

Then, without warning, Kageyama turned over to fully face him and easily grasped hold of Hinata’s hand that was clutching the sheets, lacing their fingers together. Hinata looked at Kageyama in surprise. Even though they could barely see each other’s faces, both were blushing again all the same.

“Just go to sleep, okay,” whispered Kageyama abashedly, secretly proud of himself for not stuttering this time.

And just like that, all of Hinata’s worries seemed to disappear completely. The warmth of Kageyama’s hand instantly made him feel a bit braver in the dark; and a whole lot safer. Is that why Kageyama held his hand? To make him feel better?

Momentarily, Hinata felt his heart do a weird skippy thing as he shuffled a little closer to the boy beside him before closing his eyes with a sleepy smile. “Goodnight, Kageyama.”

_And thank you._

Kageyama closed his eyes too, his heart betraying him by skipping beats. “Night, dummy.”

Both boys finally fell asleep within seconds, both feeling especially at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, I haven't written in nearly 6 months so I'm a bit rusty, but hopefully this chapter turned out okay. This is my first Haikyuu!! fic and I've been having this idea for such a long time since I've watched the series, and I'm so happy to finally write it out! Please share me your thoughts on this chapter if you want. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated too if I need to improve on anything throughout this story!
> 
> Okay, bye bye for now :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I was gonna wait to update next week, but I've decided to update it now. Hope this next chapter was at least decent! :D

Hinata was the first one to awaken, slowly fluttering his eyes so they’d adjust to the sunlight peering through the blinds. He blinked in confusion as he realized he was under exceptionally cozy covers, on a bed.

 _Wait… am I in an actual room?_ he thought in wonderment, looking curiously at his surroundings.

He was indeed in a room, but it wasn’t his room. He was somewhere he didn’t recognize, somewhere unfamiliar. He also realized he was higher above ground level.

Hinata felt his heart quickening. _W-where am I?_

But one glance beside him made Hinata recall where he was and everything that happened last night, and his heartbeat gradually came to a steadier pace.

He was in an orphanage, in Kageyama’s room, with Kageyama, holding his hand.

Remembering that Kageyama willingly held his hand to make him feel better made Hinata smile bashfully. Their hands were still laced together between each other’s pillows, warm and gentle. Hinata tightened his little fingers around Kageyama’s. _I know I’m safe now._

Kageyama’s eyes began to stubbornly open shortly after the contact, letting them adjust to the irritating sunlight. He was about to grumble at how much he hated morning time, but was greeted by a pair of brown eyes staring back at him. Something automatically clicked inside Kageyama’s brain; realization washed over him like a giant wave. Was this a dream? Did he really meet a boy with orange hair last night and brought him into the orphanage? Was he really lying next to him, holding onto his hand?

“Morning, Kageyama!” Hinata happily chirped, but then realized he said it too loudly and pressed his lips together sheepishly. “I-I mean… _morning, Kageyama,_ ” he repeated quieter with a smile.

Instead of getting a greeting back, Kageyama made a grab for his hair.

“ _Ow_!” Hinata silently squeaked. “Let _go_ , Kageyama!” he pleaded, even though he couldn’t stop smiling at the amusing sight of how grumpy Kageyama looked at the moment.

Kageyama kept his grip firm against the boy’s unkempt hair, which was unusually soft. He blinked.

 _Okay, so Hinata really_ was _here…_ “Keep your voice down, dummy,” he scolded, slightly loosening his fingers so Hinata could stop squirming. “And be still!”

“How can I be still with you _hurting me_?” Hinata countered, trying to retract Kageyama’s arm away, unsuccessfully so. “And I’m not a dummy,” he added with a pout.

Kageyama reluctantly let go, mirroring Hinata’s pout but looking extra grumpy. He let out a yawn. “What time is it?” he asked himself aloud, slowly sitting up and stretching. He looked over at his digital clock on the windowsill and he instantly huffed.

“What is it?” Hinata asked, rubbing at his now aching scalp and sitting up as well.

Kageyama glared straight ahead, letting his arms fall loosely at his sides. “I missed breakfast.”

Hinata only blinked before leaning over to peer above Kageyama’s shoulder. “What time is it?” he asked innocently, placing his chin on the other boy’s shoulder.

Kageyama felt his cheeks flush, quickly shrugging Hinata off. Hinata just gave him a bright smile. “Twelve thirty-four,” answered Kageyama begrudgingly, now glaring down at his lap.

“Wow, we slept for a really long time!” Hinata acknowledged happily, forgetting to talk quietly once again. He immediately slapped his palms over his mouth at his mistake. “ _Sorry…_ ”

Kageyama sighed. “You don’t have to whisper anymore,” he assured, speaking in his normal tone. “Yamaguchi’s already woken up and is probably out there with the others.”

“Y-Yama…guchi?” Hinata reiterated slowly. _That’s probably the boy that was sleeping and drooling on the bottom bed._ To insure that Yamaguchi was still in the room or not, Hinata crawled over to the edge and hung upside down to look underneath the top bunk. The covers were disheveled, but there was no one to be found. “No Yamaguchi here,” he stated affirmatively.

“Careful, dummy!” Kageyama pulled him back up on the bed correctly with his arms around Hinata’s torso. He glared down at Hinata with a snarl when the boy protested with a small ‘hey!’

“You were gonna fall.”

“No, I wasn’t!” Hinata pouted, trying to worm his way out of Kageyama’s hold but to no avail.

“Yes, you were.”

“No, I _wasn’t_!”

“Yes, you _were_.”

“Let go.”

“No, you dummy.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Stop acting like one.”

Hinata finally gave up with a huff, folding his arms across his chest, pinkening cheeks puffed out. “You’re not being very nice right now.”

Kageyama shrugged. “So?”

Hinata turned to glare at Kageyama over his shoulder, giving the most irritable look he could muster. But Kageyama thought Hinata resembled an angry kitten, and it almost made him want to laugh.

“Tobio? Are you still sleeping?” a polite voice suddenly called after there were two knocks at the door. Both boys stilled.

“Tobio?” When no one answered, the door clicked and slowly opened to reveal a young man with silver hair and warm brown eyes, wearing a grey suit.

Hinata gasped in alarm, instantly curling into Kageyama’s arms. The man blinked in surprise and confusion, noticing the frightened little boy. “Oh!” He sent Hinata a friendly smile with a small wave. “Hello there.”

Hinata visibly relaxed at the man’s tone. _He doesn’t seem scary at all…_

“S-Sugawara-sensei!” Kageyama spoke up, feeling bold with bright eyes. The silver-haired man acknowledged him kindly for him to continue. “I-I heard something outside last night and went to go see what it was, and I found him crying.” He internally grimaced at the memory of Hinata’s whimpering that kept him up most of the night, which in result made him oversleep and miss breakfast. _Stupid dummy Hinata._

“Tobio,” Sugawara scolded, not sounding too angry, but rather disappointed. “You know you’re supposed to remain in the building at all times. Going outside is prohibited unless you have a sensei’s permission and supervision,” he explained as if it were a routine. This was rather shocking to Suga, because no one had ever tried to sneak out before, because the children knew better; especially at _night_. Sighing, Suga thought to himself in exasperation, _We’ll have to get a better lock…_

“I-I know,” replied Kageyama dejectedly, but then remembered what task he had to attain, gently tightening his hold around the waist of a very bewildered Hinata. “But I wanna help him find out where he stays; where his parents are. Could you maybe help us, too, sensei?”

Suga’s eyes softened. _Oh, so he’s lost._ He took notice the smeared stains of wet dirt and grass on the orange-haired boy’s oversized T-shirt, and little scraped bruises peppering his knees; plus Kageyama said he found him crying.

Suga almost cooed. _Poor thing…_ “That might be a little difficult if he doesn’t have a last name,” he explained, considering Kageyama’s request.

“I _do_ have a last name!” Hinata piped up with a hand raised high in the air.

Suga smiled at the boy’s sudden enthusiasm. “Oh? What is it?”

“H-Hinata,” Hinata stammered, shyly playing with his fingers. “My full name is Hinata Shouyou.”

 _I’ll remember that._ Suga stepped inside the room in front of the two, saying gingerly, “Well it’s nice to meet you, Shouyou. I’m Sugawara Koushi, co-owner of Hanako Home.”

Hinata scrunched his nose, tilting his head to the side. “Hanako Home? What’s that?”

Suga chuckled. Kageyama rolled his eyes. “That’s the name of the orphanage, dum-dum.”

“Kageyamaaa…” Hinata whined defensively with a pout that Suga thought was too cute.

“So, since you know his last name, will you help us?” Kageyama tried again, blue eyes wide with determination in contrast to Hinata’s look of desperation.

Suga rubbed at his chin and hummed, thoughtful. “It won’t be that easy. There’re a lot of people in Japan with the last name ‘Hinata.’ It could take quite some time to find Shouyou’s biological parents.”

One glance at Hinata’s saddening expression made Suga’s heart wrench. He really wanted to help, but he knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Some kids were lucky enough to have their real parents pick them up and be gratefully reunited back into their families, although most were either lost and found—never even knowing their parents—or were strictly sent to the orphanage by their guardians for whatever reason (often due to financial problems). Hinata fit in the Lost and Found category, which was the most challenging.

“But!” Suga insisted quickly with a raised pointer finger when Hinata started to tear up. “We can wait a week or so to see if Shouyou’s parents will show up looking for him, and in the meantime, Shouyou can stay here while Daichi-san and I do some research.”

Hinata seemed to perk up a bit at the news, but still looked sad. “Can I still be with Kageyama?” he asked hopefully with a sniffle.

Kageyama twitched, blushing brilliantly.

Suga smiled warmly. “Of course you can.” A delighted squeal burst from Hinata and his frown was replaced with a bright smile in seconds. Kageyama sputtered, making Suga chuckle. “But first, Shouyou, let’s get you into a bath and some better clothes and then something to eat, okay?”

“Okay!”

Hinata wiggled out of Kageyama’s arms before bounding down the ladder and happily taking the man’s hand, leaving Kageyama shocked in complete bafflement. _How can he trust people so easily?_

“Oh, Tobio,” said Suga, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. “You missed breakfast this morning, but I think Tadashi saved you a plate,” he informed.

Kageyama raised an eyebrow. “He did?”

Suga nodded. “He’s playing with the other kids right now, but he left it for you in the dining room. You can ask Shimizu-san to warm it up for you if you’d like.”

Kageyama gave a slow nod. “Okay…”

With a kind smile, Suga turned to Hinata. “Okay, let’s go, Shouyou.”

Hinata responded with a nod, practically bouncing on his feet. “See you later, Kageyama!” he called over his shoulder, giggling a little when Kageyama stuttered something like, ‘w-whatever dummy!’

As he followed Suga into the hallway, he looked at the ivory hand wrapped around his tiny one. It wasn’t Kageyama’s hand, but he still felt safe, and Sugawara-sensei was nice and was actually willing to help him.

Hinata couldn’t help but smile thankfully to himself. _I think I’m going to be okay._

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Did you see the boy that was with Suga-sensei?”

“Yeah. He must be new.”

There were already whispers about Hinata’s arrival among the children—specifically between Ryuu and Nishinoya at the moment. They were both munching on ice cream sandwiches while drawing racecars on manila paper, crayons and markers sprawled all over the table. Kageyama was sat across from them, quietly eating his now warm buttermilk waffles and scrambled eggs.

“Yeah, must be. I’ve never seen him before,” said Ryuu, drawing clumsy green flames behind his racecar before narrowing his grey eyes with a scowl. “Do you think he’ll be mean like Tsukishima?”

Licking his lips clean from ice cream, Nishinoya tapped at his chin with the back of a crayon in thought. “Probably not. He didn’t look all that mean. He’s probably nice.”

“Well, we thought Tsukishima would be nice, and he’s _far_ from that,” the nearly bald boy countered with a pout, folding his arms.

Nishinoya laughed, remembering when they first encountered the abnormally tall, bespectacled boy and the snarky remarks he kept giving them. “Yeah, he’s the worst.”

And Kageyama silently agreed.

“I don’t see how Yamaguchi deals with him all the time,” Nishinoya admitted with a chuckle, making rapid circular motions with his hand to attempt at drawing the sun in the corner of his picture.

“Me either,” Ryuu sighed, rolling up the sleeves of his oversized brown hoodie so he could draw better. A beat of silence later, he glanced up at Kageyama, taking two more bites of his ice cream. “You must’ve missed breakfast this morning.”

Kageyama chewed and swallowed the remaining of his eggs and nodded. “Yeah. Overslept.”

“Did you sneak in a popsicle before bed?” questioned Nishinoya curiously with wide brown eyes. “Those make me really hyper and stay up late,” he added with a playful grin. Ryuu snorted in laughter and commented ‘we know they do, Noya.’

“No,” Kageyama replied flatly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Wah eh yah uh oo ee’s snah wahn?”

Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows. “Huh?”

Noya happily swallowed the rest of his mouthful of ice cream sandwich, licking his lips once more. “Was it Yamaguchi’s snorin’?” he asked again.

Kageyama sighed, poking at a waffle with his plastic fork. “No.”

Nishinoya wasn’t giving up. “Was iiiit—”

“Look! There he is!” Ryuu suddenly whisper-yelled, pointing toward the entryway of the room while tugging at Nishinoya’s sleeve. Noya quickly followed his gaze, already spotting bright orange hair that belonged to the new kid he saw with Sugawara earlier. He and Ryuu noticed the boy’s attire was different now; a light-red T-shirt with white shorts and shoes. Other kids were staring at the newbie with interest and curiosity as he stood there, seeming to be shyly looking around the spacious room for something—more specifically, someone.

Brown eyes lit up like stars as soon as they settled on them.

“Kageyama!”

The boy nearly tripped over his own feet and the toys on the floor as he ran up to the currently blushing Kageyama, smiling giddily with his arms outstretched in front of him.

Noya and Ryuu’s mouths dropped in outright confusion.

The boy wrapped his arms around Kageyama’s neck in a hug, gently pressing the side of their faces together.

This had Kageyama mildly fuming and completely crimson.

“D-dummy! Don’t just come at me like that!” he grumbled in angry embarrassment, grabbing at the boy’s hair with both hands. The boy pulled back in surprise, pouting and groaning at Kageyama to let go.

Nishinoya and Ryuu blinked.

“Y-you _know_ each other?” Ryuu asked incredulously, pointing between the two.

Kageyama only spoke after glaring at the rest of the kids, who fearfully turned back to whatever they were doing. “Yes…” he admitted through gritted teeth, cheeks pink.

“Kageyama, you actually have _other friends_?!” Noya countered, equally incredulous with astonished eyes.

“W-we’re actually not _really_ friends,” Kageyama insisted stubbornly, fists at his sides.

The brown-eyed boy paused and looked up at him then with a hurt expression, causing Kageyama’s heart to twinge like when he first witnessed him cry.

“B-but I thought we were…” the boy trailed off, voice trembling as tears began to fill his eyes.

Forgetting about the others, Kageyama instinctively grasped the boy’s hand with both of his own. “Don’t cry, dum-dum. I didn’t mean that,” he told him honestly, sheepishly avoiding his gaze.

The boy seemed to light back up at his words as a wobbly smile spread across his face. He hugged Kageyama’s torso, grateful, saying softly, “I’m glad you’re my friend, Kageyama.”

Nishinoya and Ryuu watched the whole scene as if it were a fairytale. They were both flabbergasted at how the antisocial nine-year-old knew the new kid, and at the fact that he was actually letting the boy _hug_ him,  _and_ they were apparently _friends!?_

Both boys slammed their hands against the table and leaned forward, blurting out in unison, “What is your name?!”

The small ginger jumped, tightening his hold around Kageyama and burying the side of his face into the other’s chest. “U-um… H-Hinata Sh-Shouyou,” he answered meekly.

Noya grinned alongside Ryuu, scurrying around the rectangular table to clap the frightened boy’s shoulder. “Well, Shouyou, we applaud you for easily becoming Mr. Grumpy Pants’ new friend.”

Kageyama reacted at the nickname. “ _Huh_?!”

“Really?!” beamed Hinata, his full attention now on the grinning shorter, spiky-haired boy.

Ryuu smirked in agreement. “Heck yeah we do! It took us _weeks_ to get him to say a word to us, but it seemed to have taken you only one _day_!”

Hinata’s mouth made a funny ‘o’ shape in excitement, face practically gleaming, making the two laugh out loud, receiving weird stares from other kids. Kageyama looked completely unamused.

“You’re pretty funny, Shouyou,” chuckled Noya. “I’m Nishinoya Yuu, by the way,” he introduced nobly, pointing his thumb to himself.

“And I’m Ryuu!” introduced the other, sticking his chest out with his chin held high and his foot on the edge of the table.

“I’m Hinata Shouyou!” exclaimed Hinata in triumph, mimicking Ryuu’s stance.

Noya laughed. “You already said that!”

And just like that, Hinata had made two more friends in this unfamiliar place that was an orphanage, and Hinata couldn’t be anything but grateful and content.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I'm just gonna update this frequently since this story is short. :P

“Where do you think this piece goes?”

“I don’t know. Figure it out, dummy.”

“I’m not a dummy, Kageyama…”

“Well, you’re acting like one.”

“Am not!”

“Are too.”

“Am _not_ —!”

“So how old are you, Shouyou?” Nishinoya wondered, twirling his bleached streak of hair that rested atop his forehead, unfazed by the little bickering occurring.

All four boys were now gathered in Ryuu’s room (who he shared with Tsukishima) on the floor, and they were all trying to put together a 48-piece puzzle of a flock of crows. Well, Hinata was attempting to put it together while Ryuu and Noya pitched in to help. Kageyama was concentrating on a word search he found in the back of a coloring book, but found it difficult with Hinata prodding him every few minutes.

Hinata turned away from Kageyama to innocently answer Noya’s question. “Oh, I’m ten!”

Ryuu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? You don’t look like it.”

 _Yeah, he really doesn’t,_ Kageyama mentally agreed, blinking in disbelief before glaring down at his word search. _I can’t believe he’s older than me…_

“Oh… is that a bad thing?” Hinata asked unsurely, rolling a puzzle piece between his fingers.

“Nope!” declared Noya with a smile. “I don’t look my age either.”

Hinata slightly tilted his head in interest. “How old are _you_ , Nishinoya?”

“Eleven,” Noya snickered at Hinata’s incredulous reaction. “And Ryuu’s eleven, too.”

“Wow…” Without hesitation, Hinata scooted over toward Kageyama and placed his chin on the taller boy’s shoulder, peering down at the coloring book. “How old are _you_ , Kageyama?”

Kageyama stilled, a deep blush instantly heating his cheeks. “N-none of your business…” he grumbled before shrugging Hinata away, mentally swearing at himself for stuttering.

“He’s nine,” confirmed Ryuu. Kageyama sent him a death glare.

Hinata gasped. “I’m actually older than Kageyama? I thought he’d at least be older than you guys.” He began poking Kageyama in the shoulder with the puzzle piece that was still in his hand. “You’re not acting like a nine-year-old,” he muttered with a little smile.

“What’s a nine-year-old supposed to act like?” Kageyama huffed, swatting at Hinata’s hand.

“Helping me with a confusing puzzle and not doing word searches.”

“Figuring out word searches are more fun than figuring out a dumb puzzle.”

“Puzzles aren’t dumb, they _are_ fun. Word searches are boring.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Uh-huh!”

“They are not.”

“Are too!”

Nishinoya and Ryuu just watched on, shaking their heads and sighing. _These two have only known each other for a day and they’re already arguing like this…_

“I bet you won’t even be able to put it together anyways…” Hinata murmured discretely to himself, folding his arms with a pout.

But of course, Kageyama heard him as clear as day. “I can put together a stupid puzzle better than you ever could,” he protested, pointing the end of his pen at Hinata’s nose.

“Then do it instead of dumb word searches,” Hinata insisted with a solemn expression, firmly yet softly grasping Kageyama’s hands in each of his smaller hands.

Kageyama sputtered at the sudden contact, embarrassingly and completely flustered. “W-word searches aren’t dumb; y- _you’re_ dumb, d-dummy!” he stammered lamely.

Their hands were palm-to-palm now as Hinata squeezed and pushed at Kageyama’s hands. Both boys briefly noted at how warm each other’s hands were like this, causing them to blush a light pink—Kageyama an even darker pink. Hinata’s assertiveness faltered. “ _You’re_ a dummy!”

Kageyama pushed back, trying to maintain a scowl but failing miserably. “Y-y- _you_ are!”

“ _You_ are!”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the King and his peasants.”

All four boys whipped their heads around to the sudden voice coming from the door. Standing there were two boys, one who Hinata recognized as Yamaguchi, but the other was unfamiliar to him. He was _really_ tall, that was obvious, and he had slightly curly light-blonde hair and wore thick-framed glasses. The blonde boy had a smirk on his face while Yamaguchi hid a little grin behind his hand. Hinata remembered Ryuu mentioning he shared his room with a boy who was friends with Yamaguchi and that he wasn’t very nice.

 _He doesn’t look that mean…_ Hinata thought in confusion.

Ryuu sighed melodramatically, rubbing his temples. “What do you want, Tsukishima?”

The bespectacled boy, Tsukishima, shrugged a shoulder, hands in the kangaroo pocket of his warm purple hoodie. “Suga-sensei wanted us to tell you dinner is ready.” Tsukishima glanced between Kageyama and Hinata, whose hands were still linked together in mid-battle. His smirk grew. “Oh? What’s _this_ , King? You’ve finally found a Queen to do your bidding?”

Yamaguchi had to cover his mouth with both hands to keep from laughing too hard. Nishinoya looked unamused; Ryuu muttered repeatedly to himself to stay calm; Hinata was immensely baffled; Kageyama was furious.

“Shut up!” Kageyama snarled firmly, sending the blonde a deadly glare after quickly releasing Hinata’s hands. “He’s _not_ my Queen!”

Tsukishima was unfazed. “Oh, so he’s just another one of your ‘peasants’ then? Right, my mistake, King.”

Kageyama’s fists clenched at his sides, teeth gritting angrily as he rose to his feet with pure fury coursing through his veins. “Quit. Freakin’. Calling me that.”

Hinata stared up Kageyama in aghast, heart beating rapidly in his chest. Kageyama looked…really scary. The other boys’ were just as terrified. Even Tsukishima knew that was enough teasing for the day. “Suga-sensei wanted us to tell you dinner is ready,” he repeated solemnly, turning around to head into the hallway without another word.

An awkward silence filled within the room.

Hinata was the first to break it. “Um… h-hi, Yamaguchi…” he said sheepishly with a small wave.

The freckled boy gulped, shyly returning the wave. “H-hi… S-sorry about Tsukki. He’s really not that mean like everyone thinks,” he told Hinata in a meek voice.

“Pfff. Yeah, right…” scorned Ryuu.

 _He really isn’t..._ “But yeah, dinner’s ready so…yeah. Come to the dining room!” Yamaguchi rushed out bashfully before bolting down the hallway like a mouse trying to get away from a cat.

Another awkward silence ensued until Ryuu stood up, stretching. “I _still_ don’t see how he deals with Tsukishima all the time.”

Both his and Nishinoya’s stomachs started growling.

“Well, I’m hungry,” stated Noya bluntly, hopping up to stretch as well. He turned to Hinata and Kageyama with a smile. “C’mon, you two. Let’s not think about Tsukishima, let’s think about _food_. I think we’re having spaghetti again for tonight, Shouyou,” he added.

Hinata gasped a little, knowing that he hadn’t had spaghetti in a long time. Noya smiled at this and happily prompted him to follow them to the dining room. Hinata nodded, getting up from the floor and began walking behind Ryuu and Noya out the door, only to realize that Kageyama wasn’t doing the same. The eldest boys hadn’t even noticed that Hinata stopped in his tracks.

Hinata bristled. Slowly and hastily, he turned around, expecting Kageyama to be a raging ball of fire, but the nine-year-old was staring right back at him with unfocused eyes, corral red tinting from his neck to the tips of his ears.

 _Why does Kageyama look embarrassed instead of mad all of a sudden?_ Hinata started towards him, asking softly, “Are you okay?”

Kageyama’s shoulders tensed up as he rolled down the sleeves of his pale blue sweater, ducking his head. “You weren’t meant to hear him call me that,” he said, voice quavering a bit.

Hinata blinked in concern. “Call you what?”

Kageyama grimaced. “King…”

Hinata didn’t understand. That didn’t sound like a harsh nickname, but he knew that it really got to Kageyama. Hinata would make sure to never, _ever_ call him that if it made him look so scary. That didn’t deter him from being curious, though. “W-why did he call you that?” wondered Hinata aloud, rubbing sheepishly at his arm.

Kageyama didn’t say anything at first, his hard blue eyes glued to the floor, but after taking a deep breath and shifting his feet uncomfortably, he finally spoke. “I had kinda overslept one morning and hurried up and went to go take a bath, and I overheard that we were having blueberry pancakes for breakfast. I got so excited that I rushed through my bath and went down to the dining room as fast as I could…”

Hinata leaned forward expectantly, waiting for Kageyama to continue.

“I had forgotten to put a shirt and pants on.”

Hinata felt the corners of his lips quirk.

“I was only wearing boxers that had crowns on them. In front of everyone. Including Tsukishima.”

Hinata couldn’t hold back. The horrified expression on Kageyama’s face had him bubbling with laughter. He was laughing so hard that tears started to prick his eyes. The other boy just stood there, appalled that Hinata actually found his story funny, and flustered at how _adorable_ the laughter was to his ears.

“S-stop laughing!” blubbered Kageyama with a stomp of his foot. “That was the worst morning ever! I was already laughed at then and I don’t need _you_ laughing at me now!” _You stupid, dumb, adorable dummy._

Hinata wiped at his eyes, his laughing lessening to breathy giggles. “Sorry! I’m sorry, Kageyama,” he giggled, waving his hands apologetically. “I—I didn’t mean to laugh. R-really.” He placed both his hands over his mouth to settle down the giggles. “The—the look on your face was just so _funny_ , and it made me laugh. I’m really sorr—”

Hinata blinked his eyes in surprise when suddenly his hands were being grasped by another pair of hands, bringing them away from his face. Hinata stilled, going completely silent, gazing up Kageyama’s flushed face that was _so close_. Hinata quickly shifted his gaze to the unfinished puzzle on the floor. His oddly skipping heart was beating so loudly in his ears that he swore the other could hear it too in the quiet room.

“Whatever,” Kageyama said awkwardly. His face contorted into a scowl but his eyes were gentle as they looked down at Hinata. He lightly squeezed the smaller boy’s hands, secretly liking how soft they were. “I forgive you I guess.”

Hinata looked back up at Kageyama then, cheeks light pink. A soft giggle involuntarily bubbled from beneath his lips as he smiled warmly. “Okay!” Then, out of nowhere, Kageyama grabbed his hair, giving it a tug with his fingers. “Ow!” Hinata yelped with a pout, jumping aback with his arms protectively over his head. “What was _that_ for?!”

Kageyama didn’t even bother answering as he simply went around the sulking boy towards the opened door. “C’mon, dummy,” he grumbled over his shoulder, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. “We’re already late enough.”

Hinata quickly caught up to him by his side. “And whose fault is _that_?”

“Yours.”

“Nuh- _uh_! It’s _your_ fault!”

“You wasted time laughing at me.”

“You _made_ me laugh!”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“Well, _I_ thought you were funny! And I said I was sorry.”

“…Whatever.”

Hinata smiled at Kageyama’s grumpy face, playfully brushing their shoulders together before echoing cheerfully, “Whatever!”

It took everything within Kageyama not to explode at Hinata and combust from blushing so much.

 

* * *

 

Dinner had been great and delicious to Hinata. At first, he was extremely hesitant to sit at a huge table with other children he didn’t know. But, after a while, with Kageyama sitting beside him and Nishinoya and Ryuu sitting across from him, he felt more comfortable as the night continued on. He found himself laughing along with Noya at Ryuu practically guzzling down his spaghetti like a wild animal, and laughing at Kageyama’s angry retorts when he and Noya tried stealing his meatballs from his plate.

After dinner was over, Hinata was humbly sent to his bedroom he would now share with Yamaguchi and Kageyama (Suga said it was okay for him to share). Hinata was still bouncing with adrenaline, so he felt completely baffled when he and the other two changed into their sleeping clothes. “It’s time to go to bed already?” he asked, blinking innocently.

“Well, Kageyama and I always feel tired after dinner,” Yamaguchi shyly explained while pulling a peach-colored shirt over his head. “We always end up falling asleep.” He tilted his head slightly. “A-aren’t _you_ tired?”

“Nope!” Hinata exclaimed blatantly with a big grin.

Kageyama flicked the side of Hinata’s head, receiving a whined ‘ow, Kageyama!’ “You should be,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Well, I’m _not_ ,” Hinata insisted with puffed out cheeks. Kageyama just rolled his eyes before climbing the ladder and lying down in the top bunk. Hinata then turned his attention to Yamaguchi curiously, who was arranging the covers on the bottom bunk to his liking. His brown eyes lit up when he spotted a chubby stuffed elephant sitting on top of a pillow. “Is that yours, Yamaguchi?”

Yamaguchi turned and followed Hinata’s pointing finger, blushing slightly. He gave a small nod. “Uh-huh…” He thought Hinata would start making fun of him like some kids did for having the elephant, but he was remarkably surprised at the boy’s response.

“It’s really cute!” Hinata beamed. “Where’d you get it?”

Yamaguchi blinked with parted lips before sparking back to life. “Oh! M-my mother gave me it when I was a baby,” he replied softly.

Hinata’s shoulders instantly drooped, flinching at the mention of a mother. _Did Yamaguchi not know where his mom was, too?_ Hinata could feel tears beginning to fill his eyes, but immediately repressed them by squeezing his eyes shut. _No, don’t cry…_

“A-are you okay?” Yamaguchi asked him unsurely. Even Kageyama peeked through the wooden barrier of his bed curiously at the suddenly quiet redhead.

Hinata nodded in spite of himself, wiping his face against the sleeve of his shirt with a sniffle. “Yeah…” he breathed. He sent his current sympathetic expression toward Yamaguchi before carefully asking, “Where is your m-mother now?”

The freckled boy gave him a skeptical look before sitting down on his bed and taking his stuffed elephant, gently hugging it to his chest. “I’m not really sure,” he answered. “She came and visited me earlier this year, though,” he then revealed with a small smile.

Hinata’s face lightened up at this news. “Oh…” But then he was confused. “So, w-why didn’t she…” he trailed off. _Why didn’t she bring you home?_

Yamaguchi’s smile remained tender as he stared down at his elephant in his arms. “She didn’t have enough money to take care of her and me. When I was four, she brought me to Hanako Home so I could have somewhere nicer to stay. That’s why I’m here.” He looked up at Hinata. “She told me when she visited me that she worked as a guidance counselor now, and that she now has enough money to take care of both of us. But I told her I didn’t want to come home.”

Hinata’s eyes shot up. “Why?” he questioned, not meaning for it to come out as incredulous as it did.

Yamaguchi smiled brighter. “I like it here,” he responded honestly. “The food is good, the owners are nice, and I like spending Christmases here.” Yamaguchi’s expression then shifted from compassionate to frightened in thought. “I don’t like Halloweens, though. Ghosts and goblins are scary…”

Hinata stood there in awe, mouth agape.

“Oh, also when my mother visited, she promised to visit me twice a year since she let me stay. She even said I could call her anytime,” said Yamaguchi, hugging his elephant once more.

When Hinata found his voice, he slowly started to smile, truly elated for the boy as he responded, “That’s… _really cool_ , Yamaguchi!”

Yamaguchi nodded. “Yeah. I’m really glad.”

“I hope my mom and dad come visit _me_ while I’m here,” Hinata said with optimism, looking off into space in wonder with sparkling eyes.

Yamaguchi gave a kind smile. “Well, hopefully they will one day.”

Without warning, Hinata plopped down next to Yamaguchi, making the freckled boy jump and Kageyama grunt. “Say Yamaguchi, can I ask you something?”

“Um…y-yes?”

“How old are you?” Hinata asked, and Yamaguchi almost giggled at how serious he looked.

“I’m ten.”

Hinata grinned. “I am, too! Um…what’s your favorite color?”

“…Green.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s Tsukki’s favori—uh, I-I mean,” Yamaguchi’s cheeks flushed. “I-I j-just r-really like the color g-green!” he stuttered out hurriedly, coyly covering his face with his elephant.

“What’s its name?” the orange-haired boy then asked, eyes on the elephant, not even acknowledging Yamaguchi’s inflamed cheeks.

Yamaguchi peeked above the stuffed animal and looked at him in total surprise yet again. Not only did some kids tease him for having the toy, but also because of his stuttering whenever he slipped up his words out of nervous habit. This new boy wasn’t making fun of him at all, and that made Yamaguchi feel relieved.

“His…his name is Mochi,” the freckled boy replied more confidently.

“Oh! Hi, Mochi!” chirped Hinata with a vigorous wave.

“Dummy Hinata! Be quiet and go to sleep already!”

Yamaguchi jumped and Hinata squeaked before pouting, standing up and glaring up at Kageyama, who was now sitting up in his bunk and glaring right back at him. “ _You’re_ a dummy, and I’m not sleepy yet,” Hinata remarked.

“Well, Yamaguchi and I are, so turn off the light and get up here and go to sleep,” grunted Kageyama in finality with a glower.

Hinata sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. “Fine…” He gave Yamaguchi a sad smile with a bow. “Goodnight, Yamaguchi.”

“Um, g-goodnight… uh…” Yamaguchi trailed off unsurely.

Hinata raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then realized what it was before pointing to himself. “Oh! I’m Hinata Shouyou.”

Yamaguchi gave a nod, a hint of a smile on his lips as he slipped under his covers and closed his eyes with Mochi snuggled in his arms. “Goodnight, Hinata.”

The solar-powered nightlight illuminated barely half of the room after Hinata reached and flicked the light switch off. Hinata bristled at the darkness, and his heart to quicken. Without any hesitation, he made a run for the ladder up the bunk bed, breathing erratically. Kageyama groaned—already back under the covers—as Hinata quickly jumped atop the mattress and yanked the blanket up to the bridge of his nose. Kageyama was about to scold him to stop moving so much, but the words caught in his throat when he took one look at the boy beside him.

Hinata’s eyes were shut tightly; his small body was tensed up. His lips were pressed together, and Kageyama could see visible little tears beginning to prick the corners of his squeezed eyes. Blue eyes widened earnestly in concern.

This was just like the night before.

Tears slipped down Hinata’s cheeks as he took in a sharp breath. “K—Kageyama…” he whispered desperately. His entire body was shaking. “I…I know you don—don’t like me c-crying… I’m s-so s-s-sorry…” He clenched the pillow beneath his palm, voice trembling with sniffles. “I’m trying to s-stop, but…t-too dark.” He shook his head. “W-way too dark… I’m really sorr—”

“Hinata.”

A pair of soft palms cupping his wet cheeks had his eyes fluttering open wide. Glassy brown eyes stared into sincere blue ones, unblinking. Both boys’ hearts skipped; both of their cheeks blotch a rosy pink. Hinata’s shaking gradually subdued as his heartbeat became steadier. His hands were so warm and comforting to him, and Kageyama could feel his cheeks grow hotter underneath his palms.

“…H-Hinata,” whispered Kageyama sincerely. “Don’t cry, alright? I’m…” His next words made him fumble. He closed and reopened his mouth in hesitation, too embarrassed to say it, but he wanted to. He _needed_ to say them. “I’m—I’m right here.”

Hinata exhaled a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, another tear slipping and catching into Kageyama’s thumb.

“I’m _right here_ ,” Kageyama repeated more firmly, braver. “And as long as I’m here, you’ll be okay.” Then he began to feel flustered, adamantly avoiding brown doe eyes by sheepishly looking away before assuring, “…O-okay?”

Hinata’s eyes widened at his words. They weren’t said sweetly or tenderly, but they still made something flutter within his tummy and heart, and, the most remedying thing, is that they came from Kageyama.

A little smile tugged at Hinata’s lips.

_As long as he’s here, I feel safe…_

Hinata’s fingers loosened from the pillow he was clenching so tightly. Gently, he enveloped the back of Kageyama’s left hand into his right, lightly lacing them together against his cheek. The other boy stilled at the contact, blushing brilliantly to the tips of his ears.

“Are—are you still gonna cry?” stammered Kageyama, hastily retracting his free hand from Hinata’s face.

Hinata shook his head, smiling warmly. “No,” he whispered.

“Th-then go to sleep, dummy…”

Hinata let out a soft laugh and closed his eyes, gently pressing their linked hands to his cheek as his smile grew merrily at the warm touch. “Okay, Mr. Grumpy Pants.”

Kageyama gave him a frustrated glare before closing his own eyes. “Sh-shut up, dum-dum.” He gently squeezed the boy’s little fingers. Hinata squeezed his hand back, shifting his body an inch or two closer. Kageyama didn’t even protest.

They both fell into a peaceful silence, sleep slowly starting to take over.

“Goodnight, Kageyama,” whispered Hinata contently.

Kageyama curled his lip in a pout stubbornly. “…Night, dummy Hinata.”

Eventually, both boys fell into an easy slumber, strawberry pink kissing their cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4

_A week and a half later…_

“Yamaguchi, where are we going?” whispered Hinata curiously.

He and the freckled boy were walking up the only flight of stairs in the orphanage that led to a hallway on the top floor, which was just as lengthy as the hallway their room was located. The two were both still in their pajamas since it was six forty-seven in the morning. They had to be as quiet as possible as they slipped out of their bedroom door and tiptoed towards the stairs (Hinata held onto Yamaguchi’s arm the entire time).

“You said you wanted to watch the sunrise this morning, remember?” Yamaguchi answered back in a whisper, glancing beside him at Hinata.

Hinata gasped and nodded. “Oh, y-yeah!” He sheepishly smiled. “Sorry that I kinda forgot…”

Yamaguchi smiled back. “It’s okay. Sorry I woke you up so early.”

Hinata shook his head. “I like mornings! And I haven’t seen a sunrise in a really long time so I’m excited.” It seemed like it took forever for their short legs to reach the top of the stairs, but when they did, Hinata froze at the spot. “W-why is _he_ here?” he addressed meekly.

With his hands stuffed in crescent moon-patterned pajama pockets, there stood Tsukishima in front of a giant window across from the stairs.

Hinata hadn’t seen or spoke to Tsukishima since their very first encounter. He actually felt sort of intimidated by the boy’s presence (particularly his height), so he made sure to avoid him, even though Yamaguchi is best friends with Tsukishima and often talks about him and insists that he wasn’t as mean as he seems.

But Hinata was still reluctant. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened between the bespectacled boy and Kageyama to happen to him, since that was still vivid in his mind.

Yamaguchi immediately lit up. “Tsukki!”

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes slightly at Hinata before adjusting his glasses on his face. “Hey, Yamaguchi,” he said. He didn’t sound enthused, or bitter when acknowledging Yamaguchi, Hinata noticed. He actually sounded…soft-spoken.

Yamaguchi’s smile broadened as his cheeks flushed a little. He turned to Hinata, who remained frozen beside him with his mouth agape. “I invited Tsukki to watch the sunrise with us. I didn’t think he’d come, though,” he added truthfully behind his hand. He then took the orange-haired boy by the forearm and led him over to where Tsukishima was standing. “Um, Tsukki, this is Hinata. I don’t know if you remember meeting him, but—”

“Yeah, I remember him,” spoke Tsukishima with a smirk. “He’s the King’s little Queen.”

Hinata squinted his eyes with a huffy pout.

Yamaguchi bit back a laugh, which made Tsukishima smirk even further.

“D—Don’t call Kageyama and me that!” Hinata defended, flapping his arms like a bird.

Tsukishima placed his hands on his face, cooing mockingly, “Aw, the little Queen’s defending his King’s honor. How _precious_.”

He was enjoying this all too much.

Hinata growled in frustration. _It’s too early for this…_ But then, he was greatly appalled, because beside him, Yamaguchi was _laughing_ at his torment. Hinata gasped. “Yamaguchi!” he said offended with a pout.

Yamaguchi slapped both of hands over his mouth to quiet down his laughter before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Hinata,” he apologized, chuckling a few more times. “But your reactions to what Tsukki says makes it even funnier.”

Hinata glared at Tsukishima’s smug look of triumph and gave a small ‘hmph’ before turning to the giant window that displayed an open land of grass and the trees outside in the distance. He gazed up at the pale blue sky in wonderment, standing on his tippy-toes with his fingers atop the windowsill. “What time does the sun come up?” Hinata innocently asked Yamaguchi, who now stood between him and the blonde.

“Around seven o’clock. So it should rise any minute now,” Yamaguchi explained. Hinata gasped excitedly.

A loud yawn suddenly escaped Tsukishima, making the other two jump. “It’s too early,” he muttered in a bored tone, propping his elbow on the windowsill and resting his chin in his palm.

The freckled boy blinked his brown eyes at him confusedly. “But you always wake up around this time anyways, Tsukki. And you didn’t have to come if you wanted to sleep more.”

Tsukishima peered at Yamaguchi through the corners of his eyes, a faint blush appearing on his pale cheeks, then shifted his half-lidded gaze back to the window. “Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

To Hinata, that was rather harsh for Tsukishima to say to his own best friend, but he was surprised to see a bright, playful smile on Yamaguchi’s face. “Sorry, Tsukki,” the boy replied, although he didn’t sound sorry at all. He leaned down slightly towards Hinata and whispered, “I think he secretly likes sunrises, too.”

“I can hear you, you know,” mumbled Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi chuckled softly, pressing his shoulder against Tsukishima’s. “I know.”

Abruptly, Hinata gasped, bouncing on his toes giddily. “Look!” he exclaimed, pointing. “It’s coming up!”

Three pairs of eyes widened as the sun slowly started to rise above the trees, shining its golden beams across the horizon and upon earth beautifully. Its sunlight shined on the boys’ faces, giving them a vibrant glow. Hinata’s brown irises dilated, sparkling in awe. _So this is what a sunrise really looks like…?_ “It’s amazing…” he breathed, smiling from ear to ear.

“It’s…riveting,” Tsukishima commented nonchalantly a few seconds later.

Hinata blinked twice before leaning forward to glance at the bespectacled boy. “What does that mean?” he asked curiously at the unfamiliar word.

When Tsukishima didn’t answer, Yamaguchi looked thoughtful whilst answering, “I think it means ‘pretty.’” He sent Tsukishima a small smile; their shoulders were still pressed snuggly together. “Am I right, Tsukki?”

“…Shut up, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima mumbled, hiding his now prominent, rosy blush behind his hand.

Yamaguchi couldn’t help the giggles that emanated from his lips, and soon Hinata was bubbling with laughter right along with him. Tsukishima glared his golden eyes at both of them with an indignant pout and flaming face, making the two laugh even more.

And the sun shined brightly over them high in the sky, awakening a new day.

 

* * *

 

As the days had gone by, there was no doubt that Hinata felt more and more pleased than reluctant to stay at Hanako Home. He thought the food was good, the senseis were kind, and the kids were pretty nice to him, too. And best of all, he loved that he got to be with his new friends every day, especially with Kageyama. Although the two were pretty much inseparable for nearly two weeks, the constant bickering did not lessen whatsoever. But Hinata’s crying at night _did_ lessen, however. He was still afraid of the dark, but Kageyama made it a lot easier to bear with his promise of being right there and holding his hand gently until they both eventually fall asleep.

It might didn’t mean much to Kageyama, but it meant so much to Hinata. It would sometimes make him smile thinking about it, like right now.

“What’re you smiling about, dummy?”

Hinata snapped his attention to the blue-eyed boy, who was sitting beside him with his usual scowl at a table in the play room. He waved his hands dismissively, his smile turning sheepish. “Oh, n-nothing, Kageyama!” he responded lightly, feeling his cheeks flush.

Kageyama narrowed his eyes at him in disbelief, but before he could say anything, he was hit right in the middle of his forehead by an object, causing him to snarl at his attacker. “Hey!”

“S-sorry!” squeaked a boy sitting on the other side of the table. The boy had brown curly hair that went to his shoulders and was quite tall, but not as tall as Tsukishima. Hinata had come to know him as Azumane Asahi over the past week after accidentally bumping into him one day in the hallway. Even though the boy was tall and a year older than Nishinoya and Ryuu, he wasn’t very intimidating to Hinata. In fact, Asahi’s appearance didn’t really match his personality at all. He was actually rather shy and quiet, and when he did speak, it was mostly in nervous babbles or apologies. Asahi kind of reminded Hinata of Yamaguchi in a way, but they had their differences, and were both nice in general.

Nishinoya laughed, patting the jittery boy on the shoulder. “That was a great shot, Asahi!” he exclaimed cheerfully. Ryuu laughed and agreed in the background. Kageyama continued to glower.

“B-but I really didn’t mean to, though!” Asahi insisted, shaking his head. “I-I was just helping Nishinoya with his castle and the Lego slipped from my hand, I-I swear! S-sorry, sorry!” He frantically bowed his head in an apologetic manner at Kageyama, and Hinata had to cover his mouth to muffle his own laughter.

“Asahi, quit your worryin’,” Noya said between chuckles. “You know Kageyama stays grumpy at all times,” he stated matter-of-factly, wiggling his finger.

Asahi glanced at Noya and nodded apprehensively. “Y-yeah, I know that, but—”

“Hey! I’m not grumpy _all_ the time,” defended Kageyama with folded arms.

Ryuu and Nishinoya looked at each other in incredulity, then at Kageyama, then back at each other again. Ryuu snickered. “Uh, you _kinda_ are.”

“Look, Kageyama!” blurted Hinata before Kageyama could start fuming. He abruptly held up a drawing in the nine-year-old boy’s face he’d been working on the entire time the five of them had been in the room. “I drew you with a happy face!” he said happily.

Kageyama took the picture in his hands as he observed it, his glare remaining. He did have a big smile on his face in the picture, standing on green grass, and there was a big yellow sun drawn in the top left corner of the paper. Kageyama’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who is this?” he muttered, pointing to a shorter figure with orange hair standing next to him, smiling just as big on the picture.

Hinata pouted. “That’s _me_ , Kageyama!” He then gazed up at him with hopeful brown eyes. “Do you like it?”

Kageyama sputtered, clutching the manila paper in his hands, his cheeks getting warmer and warmer as he stammered, “I-it’s…I…it’s…uh…” Four pairs of eyes stared on at him for an answer in intrigue, making him even more flustered. In all honesty, he thought the drawing was really cute, and that it was nice of Hinata to draw them both together. But of course, Kageyama wasn’t going to admit it. “D-dummy Hinata!” he growled instead, slapping the paper on the table before turning his whole body away from everyone in his chair with his arms refolded across his chest.

Asahi, Nishinoya and Ryuu just blinked at him in absolute confusion while Hinata giggled.

“Shouyou!”

All the children in the room whipped their heads toward the entryway at the sudden voice. It was Sugawara, and he was looking at Hinata’s direction, wearing a dark brown suit today. His eyes and smile were radiant.

Hinata’s eyes widened in curiosity. “Y-yes, Koushi-sensei?” he called across the now silent room.

“Shouyou, there’s a surprise for you by the corridor,” revealed Suga graciously, holding out his hand. “Come see, please,” he encouraged, smiling warmly.

Lots of eyes were now on the redhead, just as curious and confused as he was. Hinata felt his heart flutter in his chest, slowly and hesitantly standing up from his chair. _A surprise…for me?_ he thought to himself, stunned, blinking at the silver-haired man. “Uh…” He reluctantly glanced back at his friends then at the floor, clutching a handful of his yellow shirt at his chest. “Um…okay…” he finally answered in a tiny voice before walking over to his sensei quietly.

Suga mentally cooed as he grasped Hinata’s little hand into his. “Don’t look so shy, Shouyou. I think you’re really gonna love your surprise,” he assured softly, instantly calming Hinata down.

“Really?” chirped Hinata, feeling himself grin since Suga’s smile was contagious and promising.

Suga nodded. “Really.”

The two of them began walking down by the corridor to where the stairs were. Hinata’s heart was still fluttering a bit from nerves, but he remained optimistic about what his surprise might be. When they were getting closer to the front doors of the orphanage, Hinata could hear the recognizable voice of Daichi-sensei responding to other voices—voices that sounded so familiar that he swore he knew all too well. His heart began picking up speed, thudding into his chest.

Hinata was rendered still, completely speechless when they came into view.

“Shouyou!”

“…N-Natsu…”

The little girl—who resembled a mini Hinata—scurried toward her brother with a big smile and teary eyes before hugging his torso tightly. “I missed you, Shouyou-chan!” she squealed happily.

Hinata was too shocked to move as he gazed up at his mother and father. They were just as teary-eyed as Natsu, standing there gasping in true astonishment and relief. Hinata could feel his eyes overflowing with tears, too.

They were really there. Right there.

“Shouyou!” they cried in unison, making their way over to their son to envelope him and his sister into a group hug.

A smile gradually broke out onto Hinata’s face as he gratefully hugged them. He was so overwhelmed with joy that he just couldn’t speak. He was at lost for words. All he could do was close his eyes, reveling in his family’s warm, welcoming arms. Suga and Daichi watched the entire scene, wearing proud smiles.

“We were so _worried_ about you, Shouyou,” spoke Hinata’s mother, voice wobbly from crying. “We were so worried something had happened to you…”

Hinata immediately shook his head, looking up into his mother’s amber eyes. “N-no, Mom. I’m okay,” he assured her breathily, his small voice cracking as his throat started to ache from the tears.

A light chuckle escaped his father, a few tears trailing down his face as he gently ruffling his son’s hair. “Yes, we know that now,” he said warmly, truly thankful that Hinata was alright.

“How…” Hinata gasped. “H-how did you find me?”

The mother gave him a loving smile. “Thank Sugawara and Sawamura-san. They helped us out a whole lot, and we are so blessed that they had kept you safe and well,” she told Hinata.

Hinata absolutely beamed, joyously turning to the two senseis with cold tears pouring down his cheeks. “Thank you…” he breathed out sincerely. “ _Thank you_ …so much…”

Suga’s bottom lip wobbled as he and Daichi bowed respectfully.

“Shouyou-chan, how did you get here?” piped up Natsu seconds later, staring up at her brother with big brown eyes and resting her chin into his tummy. His parents looked at him too, wanting to know what had happened.

Hinata sniffled, wiping at his face. “Oh… When it rained that day we’d went to the park, I got lost and couldn’t find where you all were. I got really scared and started running and hoping that I would find you, but I ended up getting even more lost,” he explained solemnly, pressing his lips together as he remembered everything vividly. “Th-then it started becoming nighttime, and I started crying because it was dark outside, and I didn’t know where I was. I cried for a really long time until I was by this place, but then, Kageyama…” he trailed off.

His eyes widened and his expression went blank.

Natsu tilted her head in confusion. “Kageyama?” she repeated bluntly.

The mother and father blinked at each other just as baffled. “Who’s Kageyama, sweetie?” softly questioned the mother.

Hinata gasped sharply. “D-Daichi-sensei?!” the boy blurted out, quickly getting the owner’s attention. “Am I going home today?”

Daichi was taken aback by the sudden question before giving a nod. “Of course you are, Hinata,” he replied warmly with a small smile. “Your family has been worried sick about you and would like to take you back home as soon as possible.”

The ten-year-old redhead let that information gradually sink into his mind, staring straight ahead into space. The ‘are you okays’ coming from everyone around him turned into muffled noise as he began to internally panic. His lips parted as tears were refilling the corners of his eyes in sadness.

_But if I go home, that means I can’t be with…_

“Kageyama!”

Hinata easily escaped his family’s arms and took off towards the corridor, ignoring their confused beckoning. Hinata didn’t go far, though, since he ran into a body standing a few feet away from where he was. He was about to quickly apologize until he looked up and met wide deep blue eyes that belonged to the boy he was concerned about. Both boys were frozen, staring expectantly at each other, hearts stuttering.

None of them had uttered a word for a full minute until Hinata broke the silence hesitantly. “K-Kageyama…m-my mom and dad are here—”

“I know!” interrupted Kageyama, pausing when realizing he spoke too loudly. “I know. I can see that,” he mumbled begrudgingly.

Hinata swallowed a lump forming in his throat, blinking back his tears as he ducked his head. “Th-that means I’m g-going home today…” His voice was quavering as he slightly dug his fingertips into his palms at his sides. It made Hinata’s heart ache saying it out loud.

Kageyama mirrored his stance, glaring at the red-carpeted floor beneath his black shoes. He bit at his bottom lip. His heart was actually beginning to ache, too. “Y-yeah…” he grunted, clutching the ends of his sleeves of his slightly-oversized white sweatshirt. “I guess—”

“But I wanna be with _you_ , Kageyama!” The shorter boy laced their hands together, blushing bashfully before adding, “A-and I wanna stay here with the others, too.” Hinata was staring into Kageyama’s eyes again determinedly, squeezing and bringing their hands in the space between them. “If I go home, then I won’t be able to see my friends… or see you…”

Tears bubbled down the corners of Hinata’s eyes at the horrible thought of being away from the people he’d gotten to know and care for in such a short amount of time. He wanted to stay here longer, to stay with Kageyama longer; just a _bit longer…_ Hinata found himself crying into the blue-eyed boy’s sweatshirt, resting his forehead onto his chest and pressing the other’s soft palms on each side of his face. Hinata liked how warm they were, how _safe_ they made him feel.

The adults and Natsu watched the two in pure adoration and awe, absolutely speechless.

Kageyama’s heart felt like it was elevating. He looked down at Hinata, not knowing what to do with himself as his cheeks inflamed a corral red. “S-stop—b-being so dramatic,” he finally stuttered out when he found his voice. “You’ve been wanting to see them the whole time you’ve been here, and they seem to really miss you and want you to come home, so it’s only fair for you to go,” Kageyama explained, trying to sound as understanding as he could muster.

Hinata’s hands left the other’s to desperately grasp handfuls of sweatshirt. His small voice came out in a barely audible whisper. “But, Kageyama…”

“Besides,” Kageyama continued, fingers gently grabbing at fluffy orange hair. “You can come and visit, you know.”

Brown eyes flashed as realization washed over Hinata like a tidal wave. He slowly looked up at Kageyama as if he were a ray of sunlight shining through a heavy storm. “Really?!”

Kageyama twitched, slightly tightening his grip as he glared down at the floor. “Yeah, dummy…”

Before Kageyama knew it, he was soon engulfed into a pair of arms followed by adorable laughter, causing him to get embarrassingly flustered and push at the overjoyed redhead. “D-don’t do this in front of grownups!” he warned, even though his heart was leaping, and he was secretly glad seeing the frown gone from Hinata’s face.

Hinata let Kageyama stubbornly push at his shoulders and arms, as it made him laugh even harder in dumbfounded happiness. He felt so silly. Of _course_ he could visit Hanako Home. He could visit almost every afternoon when he goes back to school; and when he couldn’t visit, he could just call and talk to his new friends over the phone. Hinata continued hugging Kageyama with a content little smile, snuggling his left cheek into the sputtering boy’s chest. _Everything is going to be okay…_

“Shouyou-chan looks so happy!” chirped Natsu to her parents, eagerly tugging at their sleeves. They both found themselves gradually smiling right along with their daughter.

“Yeah…” the black-haired mother semi-whispered, eyes warm. “He really does.” She and her husband had always seen their son smile all the time, but they’d never seen him _this_ happy in the ten years they’ve raised him. And Hinata’s happiness was all because of that boy he was hugging endearingly.

“Oh!” Hinata suddenly exclaimed with bright eyes before taking the blue-eyed boy’s hand and quickly guiding him to his family. Kageyama went quiet then, looking up at the three. “Mom, Dad, Natsu, this is my new friend, Kageyama!” Hinata introduced cheerfully with a grin.

Kageyama still didn’t say anything as Natsu squealed a ‘hi!’ and the parents bowed politely in greeting. He felt too shy to speak, and was sheepishly blushing from Hinata’s warm, tiny hand holding his own.

“Well, Kageyama, we thank you for being Shouyou’s friend and making him feel happy,” said the father kindly, his smile resembling his son’s.

Kageyama blinked, astonished. Seeing the man with tousled orange hair and brown eyes up close made him feel like he was looking at an older version of Hinata. _Dummy Hinata looks just like his dad…_ he thought briefly.

“Yeah, thank you for looking after my big brother!” Natsu spoke up in agreement.

Kageyama’s blush deepened. “Y-you’re…w-welcome…” he murmured lowly, looking down at the floor. He secretly gave Hinata’s hand a soft squeeze, making the other flush a bright pink.

“Hinata,” Daichi finally spoke gently, walking beside the group with an emotional Sugawara at his side. Hinata’s looked up at him with expectant big eyes. “You should let the others know you’re going home today and say your goodbyes,” he told the ten-year-old with a sad smile.

“Oh…r-right.” Hinata began feeling somber, too, but immediately lightened up as he gasped. “But I can come visit, though, right?” he asked his parents earnestly, eyes hopeful and pleading.

Hinata’s mother didn’t even hesitate to nod alongside his father in response, gently ruffling Hinata’s soft hair. “Of course you can.”

Hinata automatically beamed at this and hopped up and down with breathy little laughs, his happiness infectious to his family and the senseis. He gazed up at Kageyama with stars in his eyes, glowing like the sun shining above them through the windows. “Let’s go, Kageyama!” Hinata suddenly chimed, already running and tugging said boy towards the play room without even a glance back.

Kageyama just sputtered in blatant confusion before quickly coming to his senses with a glower. “H-hey! Not so fast, dum-dum!” he grumbled, but not letting go of Hinata’s hand.

Familiar warmth surged through both of their firmly entwined hands and their hearts. A hint of a smile crept upon Kageyama’s lips as Hinata’s bubbly laughter filled within his ears. And, albeit Kageyama would never admit it out loud, he was glad that Hinata would soon visit him and the others (and glad that they had become friends).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might add a bonus chapter where Hinata visits the orphanage, and a little epilogue where Hinata and Kageyama are teens O_O Hope y'all enjoyed this!

**Author's Note:**

> okay, I haven't written in nearly 6 months so I'm a bit rusty, but hopefully this chapter turned out okay. This is my first Haikyuu!! fic and I've been having this idea for such a long time since I've watched the series, and I'm so happy to finally write it out! Please share me your thoughts on this chapter if you want. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated too if I need to improve on anything throughout this story!
> 
> Okay, bye bye for now :D


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